They create social innovations
The four-month incubation program is the main prize in „The best social innovation project competition " organized by the Kielce Technology Park as part of the CE Responsible project. In the competition participated świętokrzyskie social enterprises - foundations, associations and social cooperatives.
The project "CE RESPONSIBLE Sustainable model to support social entrepreneurship" is co-financed by the Interreg Central Europe program. KTP, in an international partnership, creates a platform for connecting non-profit organizations with large enterprises implementing a policy of corporate social responsibility.
The competition awarded ideas for new social activities aimed at improving the quality of life. It was about new solutions to common problems in the field of sport, tourism, recreation and hobbies, education and upbringing, culture and art, health protection, local development, social services and social assistance.
Committee, composed of KTP employees and external experts, selected participants with the best ideas who qualified for the four-month incubation program at KTP, i.e. a series of activities aimed at supporting the development of ideas. It is about supporting the guardian, including counseling and working with the team, assistance in planning and implementing a promotional campaign in social media promoting a social enterprise. Social enterprises selected for this process will also be able to take part in networking meetings with potential partners, as well as training in presentation, promotion and customer acquisition, and with the use of the Design Thinking methodology. Additionally, a promotional campaign in the media is planned for each organization. In the last stage, the participants will present the developed solutions to the committee during the "Pitch days". The best 3 projects will be awarded with promotion videos.
Winning Projects:
1. The City Transport Lovers' Club in Kielce
Association called The City Transport Enthusiasts Club in Kielce was registered in 2017. It has a dozen or so members, but they are hardly recognizable among the local community. This does not allow for the promotion of historic vehicles and for gaining sponsors or using the support of institutions.
The creation of the Association's website, its active management and training of members will allow for better identification in the local society in cooperation with enterprises. The creation of the website will allow to present to a wider audience the statutory activity, which consists in the protection of historic public transport vehicles, the reconstruction of club buses (the articulated Ikarus of Hungarian production and Jelcz) and will allow the history of public transport to be preserved. It will also enrich the offer for entrepreneurs and cultural institutions in the świętokrzyskie voivodship by making the events organized within the voivodeship more attractive świętokrzyskie.
The target group is primarily entrepreneurs, potential sponsors, cultural institutions, private persons and sympathizers related to the transport industry. The benefits of the project include better brand recognition in the local and national society, the preservation of historic buses and the integration of history enthusiasts. The website as a common source of information, in addition to social media, will allow for mutual cooperation, integration and advertising for the association itself and for potential sponsors, ensuring their recognition in business.
2. ASUMPT Association
Volunteering in Poland is not very popular. A very small percentage of the population declares volunteering, which places Poland in one of the lowest positions in the EU. The involvement of Poles is very weak despite the initiatives and programs implemented by the civic sector and state institutions.
The aim of the project is to support the Local Volunteer Center in the Chęciny commune. The main tasks are to create a database of volunteers and entities declaring a need for volunteers, expanding the knowledge and competences of volunteers, conducting LCW, conducting training and study visits, dissemination events, a spot promoting local volunteering and a publication entitled Good practices in organizing local volunteering. The direct recipients will be young people living in the Chęciny area. Thanks to the cooperation between neighboring centers, Volunteer Centers.
3. AIESEC Polish Local Committee in Kielce
The main goal of the association is to create a place, in cooperation with organizations, companies, universities and foundations, where training courses, occasions, meetings and events taking place in Kielce will be published. AIESEC wants people to know that the city has a lot to offer, and to be more willing to choose it as their place of study. Another important goal is to raise the awareness of students and young people in Kielce about development opportunities, news offered by, among others, organizations and universities in Kielce and encouraging them to actively participate in the life of NGOs. This goal will be achieved through cooperation with other organizations, by creating events on social networks, where it will be possible to show and talk about opportunities to engage in work and activities with NGOs. The event will be promoted through online advertisements, posters, leaflets, advertisements at universities, bus stops and buses. The target group is students of mainly secondary schools, students and graduates of Kielce universities. Youth in Kielce is a group that should be particularly aware of the possibilities of development and involvement in the life of the city and organization. To implement the project, the Association plans to offer cooperation to all organizations, foundations and universities operating in Kielce, which will also be very beneficial for themselves.
4. Association Local Action Group "Flint Circle"
Project title: Local Community Center
The main statutory goal of the organization is activities for the development of rural areas, i.e. undertaking initiatives and activities aimed at stimulating the activity of local communities and building society. The aim is to create an innovative model of activities developing civic activity based on intergenerational volunteering in the Local Action Group. The project provides for a number of activating methods of operation, including social campaigns and educational activities. As part of the task, the Applicant assumes the creation of a Local Community Center. The target group participating in the Local Community Center is, among others seniors who will be able to share their life and professional experience. Thanks to voluntary work, they will be able to take up activity outside their home, e.g. universities of the third age, clubs and seniors centers, etc. with unemployment, disability, addictions, violence, or the difficulties of raising children alone. The association plans to implement the project in partnership.
5. Wide Open Eyes Association
Project title: Rehabilitation of people with disabilities through work
The subject of the project is to develop a model of reaching and communicating with enterprises and institutions that employ more than 25 employees under a contract of employment in order to familiarize them with the topic of "a disabled employee" and to encourage them to employ people with disabilities on the open labor market. The target group of the project are enterprises and institutions from Kielce and the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship as well as people with disabilities living in Kielce and in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. The benefit of employing people with a disability certificate is the reduction of obligatory contributions to PFRON and the possibility of receiving funding from PFRON to the remuneration of a disabled employee. The scope of this project in the first stage is only regional. After developing an appropriate model of cooperation with enterprises, institutions will be able to increase the range of influence on the domestic one. The most difficulties in the project occur when reaching the partners needed to implement the project, because according to the Act of 27 August 1997 on vocational and social rehabilitation and employment of disabled people, they are obliged to employ a certain number of disabled people. If they do not fulfill this obligation, they must pay the calculated fine to PFRON every month. Therefore, business representatives are reluctant to approach the topic of "disabled employee", often explaining that they do not want additional problems in their company and lack of time. Therefore, reaching the right decision-maker is very difficult. Promotional and networking support will be extremely necessary, because the essence of reaching a large group of entrepreneurs and institutions is the essence.
6. Socially Sensitive Association
The aim of the project is to deepen the knowledge of the regional history among elementary school students in Starachowice. The main problem is that students in schools learn only about general history, ignoring regional history. Regional history has a great influence on young people's identity. Every student should know his/her “roots”.
Socially Sensitive Association wants to instil in elementary school students the desire and passion to deepen their knowledge of regional history. Therefore, the Association is planning to create an e-book whose content would be accessible to young people. The project also includes the creation of the Starachowice History Centre. There will be 15 computer stations and an interactive monitor which will encourage young people to search for regional historical curiosities. Within the Centre, children and youths would take part in competitions, quizzes and other initiatives aimed at deepening their knowledge of local history. The solution proposed by the Association is innovative because there is no place in Starachowice where elementary school students can gain knowledge about regional history.
7. Kielce NGOs Forum
NGOs play an important role in the society as they undertake various initiatives to benefit the society. The leaders of NGOs are committed to the activities implemented. Unlike traditional businesses, NGOs have a harder start because their activities are not focused on financial benefits. Kielce NGO Forum wants to support young and ambitious NGO leaders, but the problem is communication. Local NGOs do not know the scope of the support offered by Kielce NGO Forum.
A proposed solution by Kielce NGO Forum is The Centre for NGOs. It is a place where NGOs can get necessary support. The project aims to promote the mission of The Centre for NGOs, which is oriented on cooperation and partnership. The Centre responds to the needs of small (local) NGOs by offering them friendly space and specialized assistance. The Centre, unlike other similar social initiatives, is focused on proactive search for new audience. The goal of the project is not only to bring together as many NGOs as possible, but also to support and build cooperation. Increasing the reach of The Centre project is possible thanks to an active campaign in social media and networking meetings offered by CE Responsible Sustainable model to support social entrepreneurship. The project is innovative because Kielce NGO Forum offers comprehensive solutions for NGOs in one place.
Kielce NGOs Forum within The Centre for NGOs needs support in its current promotional campaign. Financial resources are necessary for this purpose.
8. Association Institute for Urban Initiatives
In Kielce lives a lot of ambitious and active people who would like to change something in their environment. Unfortunately, apart from local government initiatives (e.g., civic budget), there is no platform (place), which would allow sharing ideas and social solutions between the residents of the city.
The subject of the project is to create the Base of urban initiatives, which would be an interactive place for exchanging ideas and social solutions. The base is a response to the need for active cooperation between businesses, local government, NGOs, and residents. The project promotes creative thinking and exchange of good practices not only between residents of Kielce, but also between residents of other cities in Poland. The base may be the voice of society, as the ideas shared may provide ready-made solutions for local authorities. The innovation of the project is manifested in the fact that there is no place that would actively associate the ideas of society.
The aim of the Base is to build a sizeable collection of ideas and social solutions. Effective implementation of this project will be possible through an active awareness campaign in social media. Financial resources are necessary for this purpose.
